


Finding Home

by River_Laughlin



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Eating Disorders, Foster Family, Multi, Past Abuse, Past Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, School, Self-Harm, Smoking, Underage Smoking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-01-25 11:35:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12530416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/River_Laughlin/pseuds/River_Laughlin
Summary: When Ruby is placed in a new foster home it seems like a good normal family. Her new foster parents and few foster sister Yang seem great, but how long will she be staying?





	1. Chapter 1

Ruby glanced at her watch again. This drive was taking longer than she thought it would.  Ozpin had assured her that this might be her last stop, but he always said that. She knew it would only be a couple months and it would be time to move again. Ozpin turned off the main road into a suburb and Ruby let out a sigh of relief. It had been over an hour and her butt was sore.

As they approached the house two men came rushing out. “Hello! I’m Mark and this is my husband David.” They seemed too happy. Ruby knew from experience that foster parents that greeted you like that were bad news.

“Come on in I’ll show you to your room, so you can get settled while we handle some paperwork.” David said with a friendly smile. He led her up a flight of stairs and to the left. “There is a walk-in closet through that door and this one here goes to a bathroom that you’ll share with Yang. You’ll meet her later, she had a club thing today.” He said before turning and heading back downstairs.

Ruby tossed her bag down on the window seat. She knew that she wouldn’t be here long and she would rather not have to pack it all up again. Ruby sat on the bed and wondered how long it would be. A few weeks? Maybe a couple months? She smiled when her phone vibrated. _You get there yet?_ Of course, it was Neo. _Yes, I’m here. I get my own room this time so that’s a plus._ She replied.

Yang headed back to the house. She had a rough day and just wanted to sit in her room and relax. Although given the time she knew that Mark and David would be getting dinner ready. She used her key and opened the door. She had just taken off one of her shoes when she heard Mark call “It’s almost time for dinner. Go up and introduce yourself to our newest guest and come down.” Yang groaned and headed up the stairs.

She knocked on the only unoccupied rooms door and entered when whoever was inside called for her to come in. “Hey, I’m Yang. Dinners almost ready.” She said not paying much attention to the new person. “I’m Ruby. I’ll come down in a minute.” Yang just shrugged and headed back downstairs.

Ruby took a deep breath. She didn’t much feel like playing nice. Nevertheless, she headed down the steps, following the noise to where the kitchen must be. She leaned up against the counter and watched as Mark moved about getting the final touch of dinner finished.

“Hello there. You hungry? I made spaghetti and meatballs.” He said smiling. Ruby just gave him a halfhearted nod and turned around to sit at the table. Once everyone was seated they dug in.  Ruby just picked at her meal listening to the conversation. “How was your club, Yang?” David asked while buttering a slice of bread.

“Fine. Did you two have a good day?” Yang asked moving the attention away from herself. “Yes, in fact. We have a big day planned for tomorrow too. Now that you are both here we are going to take you shopping for school supplies and room decorations. We also need to get you uniforms for school.” Mark said basically bouncing in his chair. “Why do we need uniforms?” Ruby asked praying that she wasn’t getting sent to Catholic school again.

“Because your both going to Beacon Prep. You start on Monday.” David replied.

Ruby frowned at this new information.  _Great now I’ve gotta deal with spoiled rich kids._ Ruby thought to herself. She finished her dinner quietly, only pretending to be listening to the story that Mark was telling about his restaurant.

Once dinner was over Ruby went straight to her room and opened a window. There was easy access to the roof and she hopped out, taking a seat next to the window. She pulled a small box from her pocket and grabbed a cigarette out. She laid back against the roof and started watching the stars as she smoked.  A few minutes later she was startled by Yang.

“You should sit farther this way if you don’t want them to notice you.” She said.  
“Thanks for the tip.” Ruby replied sarcastically, making Yang chuckle. “Well, I’m headed for a walk. See ya later.” Yang said just before she hopped onto the roof of the garage and climbed down a ladder. Ruby took note of how that was done as she watched Yang jog off. _I wonder where she is going._

Mark climbed into bed and sighed. “Today went pretty well I think.” He said turning to David, who put down his book and looked over. “I think so too. I am a little concerned though. First week and Yang’s already lying to us about going to a book club.” Mark chuckled, “Ya I wonder where she really goes. That’s twice this week, right?  I’m sure it’s fine. What about what Ozpin said though?” Mark said, pulling his love in for a snuggle. “I’ve been worried about that too. I guess we will just be careful and take things slow.” David replied, accepting the cuddles smiling.

Mark climbed out of bed the next morning. He headed downstairs and started the coffee. He pulled some dishes out and started making breakfast. He loved the feeling of being able to cook for a family. Once he had placed the quiche in the oven he made a cup of coffee and headed back upstairs. Nudging David awake he gave him a light kiss and handed him the mug. “I’ll get the girls up” He said before leaving the room.

Mark turned towards Ruby’s room and knocked on the door. “Ruby it’s time to get up.” He called. When there was no answer he tried again. Sighing he poked his head in the door and called out “Ruby, it’s almost time for breakfast.” He smiled at the groan that came from the pile of blankets and headed off to get Yang. He knew from experience that it was a little harder to get Yang up. He knocked a few times and peaked through the door. “Yang? It’s time to get up.”

One Mark had called out a couple times he moved into the room and as usual threw a pillow at her. He frowned when he got no reaction and moved closer. He called out to her a few more times. _I guess I’ll come back in a couple minutes._ He turned to the door and heard the ding from the oven timer. _Guess not._ Mark sighed and turned back around. He moved up to the side of the bed and reached out, grabbing Yang’s shoulder. He gave it a shake, “Yang breakfast is done.” He removed his hand and turned to the door when she flinched away from him. He remembered Ozpin’s advice as he headed down the stairs.

It took a bit for Ruby to wake up, she didn’t want to do the whole shopping thing. She would rather stay in her room until Ozpin came to take her to whatever place was next. She got up and threw on whatever jeans were sitting on top. Once she had finished getting dressed she opened the window and hopped out for a smoke. Ruby watched the clouds absent mindedly, musing about how long she would have to deal with Mark and David trying to play family. She pulled out her phone and messaged Neo. _Hey, you up yet?_

“Ruby! Are you up? It’s time for breakfast.” Ruby heard David call from the door. _Shit!_ Ruby thought as she put out her cigarette and quietly jumped through the window. She pulled some body spray from her bag and sprayed it all over herself before putting a breath strip in her mouth. She opened the door and followed David down to the table.

She took the same seat she had at dinner the night before and looked at her plate. _What the fuck is that?_ She thought. It looked like egg pie and toast. _Rich people eat weird shit._ Once Ruby had eaten her toast she tried the egg thing and was surprised to find it was pretty good.

After breakfast mark started shuffling them into the car, they were off to get the uniforms they needed. Once they had started on their way ruby pulled out her phone. _Hey neo did you get to your new place yet?_

Ruby turned her attention back to the car while she waited for a response. Mark and David were talking about work stuff and Yang was gazing out her window. Ruby frowned, she hoped Neo would be able to talk for a while. She smiled when her phone beeped.

 _No, I’m not moving till next week. I’m dreading it though. The new people don’t know sign._ Ruby knew how hard it was for Neo when she got put in a place like that. _I hope it goes well. Do you know the address yet? I hope it’s close to where I’m at._ “Everything ok back there? You look a little upset Ruby.” Mark said, looking through the rear view mirror.

“Just chatting with a friend about where she’s getting moved next. Doesn’t look good.” She replied, she could feel the others looking at her, but she was too busy looking at Neo’s next message. _Ozpin didn’t know for sure, he just said that they don’t sign._ Ruby frowned again. When she looked up Mark and David were giving her worried looks. “She’s deaf and moving to a new place where they don’t know sign. It happens all the time so don’t freak out so much.”

Ruby ignored everyone for the rest of the drive. When the car stopped they were in front of some odd-looking clothes store that had slacks and sweater vests in the window. Their group entered the building and shuffled to the counter. David informed the lady at the counter that they were there for uniforms and gave her their information. The woman turned to Ruby and told her to hold her arms up. Ruby complied, and she started wrapping some pink tape around her in a bunch of different spots. _I hate this._ Ruby thought, she didn’t like being touched.

When Ruby turned she saw a little man doing the same to Yang. Ruby smiled when he had trouble reaching Yang’s shoulders, she hadn’t noticed how tall Yang was. Ruby put her arms down when the lady walked off into the back followed by the man. “So, are we almost done? Cuz this place has a weird smell.” Yang said, she had her hands folded behind her back and was bouncing on her toes.

Before anyone could answer the lady came back out with a few bags. She handed two to each girl When she started talking to Mark, David said. “Yes, we are almost done here. You two can head out and put those in the trunk.” He tossed his keys to Yang and turned around to join David.

Ruby turned and walked out. Not needing to be told twice. She walked over to the trunk of the car and sighed. _I could really use a smoke._ There was a light beep when Yang unlocked the car. Ruby dropped their bags in the trunk and closed it. She started leaning against it, wondering how long they would have to wait. “Drives me crazy how nice they are. Wish they would pretend we don’t exist like the others.” Yang said hopping onto the trunk. Ruby smiled “Ya they are a little more involved than I’d like. I hope this shopping thing doesn’t take all day.” She replied turning to watch the traffic go by.

“Well they mean well I guess. Ozpin said if I behave I might be here for a while, so might as well try. I’m Yang Xiao Long, I’m sixteen and I like math class. How bout you?” Yang asked, turning to face Ruby. “I’m Ruby Rose, also sixteen and I prefer english.” Ruby said returning Yang’s gaze.


	2. Chapter 2

Ruby opened her eyes into darkness under her covers. She didn’t want to get up just yet and knew that someone was bound to come get her soon. They usually came to wake her for breakfast, her new foster parents oddly liked spending time with her and Yang. Yang got out of a bit more since she had that stupid book club excuse. Ruby thought she would need to think of some fake activity to use to get out.

She started thinking about it lazily, drifting in and out of sleep. She woke up again to a buzzing from her phone resting on the night stand. She groaned and flipped her new red bedding off her and rolled into a sitting position at the edge. She picked up her phone and yanked the power cable out. There was a message from Neo, but the time was what caught her attention. It was just after 10, why didn’t anyone wake her yet? She turned to the text as she stood up and stretched

_Ruby you up yet? I’m planning on sneaking out today. Want to do something?_

Ruby smiled. She would love nothing more than to go hang out with Neo. She wasn’t sure if she would manage to get away. Mark and David had been hovering since she got here. She hopped down the steps and into the kitchen looking for something to eat. Yang came in a moment later from the living room. “Hey finally up?” She said leaning on the doorframe. “Ya, why didn’t anyone wake me for breakfast?” Ruby replied, opening the fridge to look for any leftovers. “They both had to work so they let us sleep in. There are bagels and cereal. I thought I’d let you know I’m headed out.” Yang said as she pushed off the wall and turned for the door. “Oh, you have another book club to get to?” Ruby asked sarcastically.

Yang just chuckled and continued on her way out. Ruby pulled out her phone and texted Neo. _I’m good for anything the “fam” is gone. Where you wanna meet?_ Ruby pulled a granola bar from a cupboard and started eating it on her way up the stairs. She pulled off her pajamas and changed into some jeans and a plain t-shirt. While she was pulling on her shoes she heard her phone vibrate. She opened the message and decided to grab a jacket and a knife.

Ruby hopped of the bus and turned toward her destination. She smiled at the familiar area. She walked past a couple of bums and junkies on her way down the street. As she turned a corner she pulled a cigarette out and lit it. Ruby weaved around the streets and shops and couldn’t help but notice how at home she felt. She jumped when she was pulled from her thoughts but a hand on her shoulder. Ruby turned to see the friend she was meant to meet.

“Hey Ruby, how’s it feel to be back in the slums?” Neo signed smiling.  Ruby smiled back and signed “It’s great. At least I know how to get along here.”

* * *

 

Yang walked up to the familiar house smiling. She walked into the open garage and She pulled her jacket and helmet from the work bench. Yang pulled the cover off her motorcycle. She frowned at the new dents and scrapes. Once she had the cover folded and put into the seat she climbed on and tried the engine. When it didn’t start first try she checked to see if anything was wrong.

She found the problem was an unplugged battery and started fixing it. The was a loud bang as the door to the house was slammed. She cursed under her breath and snapped the cover on. “what the fuck are you doing here?! You get away from that bike! I’ve got someone coming to take it today!” a woman shouted, yang still hated her and easily shouted back. “The fuck you do! It’s in my name and I’m taking it!” Yang tossed the tool she had been using into the bench and climbed aboard her bike. “You take it out of here and I’ll call it in stolen!” Yang just chuckled and started the engine loving the roar it made. She pulled out quickly and speed down the road. It took her way to long to get here and she knew that it would take about an hour to get back to the house. She just wanted to spend the day fixing the damage that psycho had done to her baby. She weaved in and out of traffic on her way home frowning at the change in handling there was.

By the time she got back it was almost four in the afternoon. “Fuck. I don’t have much time to work before David comes back.”

 

Ruby stomped her cigarette out as she followed Neo into a playground. She smiled as she remembered all the times they had spent there. Neo took a seat on a swing and Ruby was quick to join her. “Are you doing ok? I know you don’t like the idea of leaving the neighborhood.” Ruby signed. She was concerned that her friend would have an even harder time wherever she was going. “I am a little worried about it. It’s the first time in a long time that I’ll have to switch schools. I wish I was going to school with you still.” Neo looked over as she finished signing and frowned. Ruby grabbed the swing and pulled it over and wrapped Neo in a hug. She worried what kind of situation her friend would end up in.

 

Ruby and Neo spent hours chatting in the park. Until she heard her phone ring. She looked down and saw that it was David. Ruby signed to Neo that she needed to answer and pressed the phone to her ear. “What’s up David?” Ruby asked genuinely curious what he was calling for. “Well I assumed that you and Yang were out and about today, so I wanted to let you both know that I’ll be picking you up at six for dinner. We are going to Dinner at Mark’s restaurant.” David said. Ruby looked at the time and swore under her breath. “Ok I’ll head back now. I’ll let you know if I’m not gonna make it and need a lift.” Ruby replied before saying goodbye and hanging up. She turned and signed to Neo that she needed to get going. Neo nodded and followed her back towards the bus station.

A short while later Ruby took her seat and watched Neo bounce away as the bus turned onto the street. Ruby made sure to keep an eye on the time in case she needed to get off and call David. Once she got to her stop she smiled. She still had twenty minutes to get back and change.

 

“I’m almost home now Mark. I’m sure we will be on time. I told the girls I would be picking them up, so they should be ready.” David said while he turned down towards his home. He only half listened to his husband rattling on about wither the girls would like his restaurant or not. “oh well maybe we will be a little late. Ruby is just walking up. There is also a motorcycle in the driveway. I hope it’s not some boy. I love you and we will see you soon.” He said before turning off his engine. He took a deep breath and climbed out. He turned his head towards Ruby and smiled. “Hey Ruby, did you have a good day?” He asked getting only a nod and yup from her before she hurried inside.

He turned and frowned at the motorcycle again before turning to go inside. When he looked into the living room he expected to see Yang and some biker dude one the couch. He groaned before turning from the empty room and headed up the stairs to Yang’s room. He knocked on her door and was surprised to be invited in. He took a deep breath and opened the door. Yang was sitting at her desk. He walked up behind her to see a greasy looking part sitting on a towel. “You ready for dinner.” He said watching Yang carefully working. “Yup, just cleaning this out. I’ll wash my hands and head down.” Yang replied while she scooped the loose screws and bolts into a sandwich bag. “What’s up with that bike in the driveway?” David asked on his way out. “It’s mine, my mom bought it for me before she died.” Came the answer giving David a worried frown.


	3. Chapter 3

Ruby gazed out the window watching the buildings roll by. She let Yang claim shotgun and giggled at the way she was trying to get out of chatting with David. He was talking about how he met Mark. Something about getting his foot stuck in a gutter drain and needing to be rescued. David just happened to be walking by. Ruby thought that was a cute way to meet. She had thought that the way her parents had met was cute too. _I wonder how long until Mark and David destroy each other._

Ruby wondered where her mom was. She hoped she wouldn’t run into her. She knew her dad was gonna be in jail for a while longer and didn’t care where he went after that as long as she didn’t have to see him. Ruby turned to Look at Yang, she wondered what happened to her family.

They pulled up to the restraunt. It looked like a much fancier version of Olive Garden. It looked pricy, they even had valet parking. David let the valet take his car and the headed inside. Ruby and Yang stopped to wait for the hostess to get them a table, but David walked right past. Yang glanced Ruby’s way and shrugged. They hurried after him and followed him up a small set of stairs.

There was only one table in the section. David took a seat and motioned for them to do the same. Almost immediately a young lady with brown hair up in a ponytail was asking what they wanted to drink. Ruby noticed that she had cute freckles. David had simply ordered the usual, Yang got an iced tea, Ruby checked the options in the menu until her turn. She ordered a strawberry soda. Once the girl headed off to fetch the drinks David turned his attention to them. “This is Mark’s table. Only his guests are allowed up here. I’m sure someone told him we are here, so he should be joining us soon.” He finished saying just as Mark appeared at the top of the stairs. “Speak of the devil.” Yang muttered.

“Hey guys!” Mark said. He turned and gave David a kiss before sitting down. Mark was wearing his chef clothes, he seemed pretty clean even though he had been cooking. “How was everyone’s day?” Mark continued. When he was met with quiet David answered. “Mine was fine. Just a normal day at the office.” The hostess returned with their drinks and some bread. David grabbed a piece and started buttering it. “How bout you girls? Anything interesting happen?” David tried again. “I just went to visit a friend. Nothing major.” Ruby said also grabbing some bread. David turned his attention to Yang waiting for her response. “I went and picked up my bike. The person I left it with beat it up some but nothing I can’t fix.”

Yang took a sip of her tea and David added “Yes, that’s a pretty cool looking motorcycle. I assume you have a license for it.” Yang nodded, she had just bit into a roll. Once she finished chewing she said, “I’ve got insurance too.” “That’s pretty cool! You said you can fix it? I take it you like mechanic stuff?” Mark continued. “Ya, it’s nice not to have to go to a shop for every little thing.” Yang replied.

They were interrupted by a couple waiters coming up the stairs. One placed a big bowl of salad in the center of the table, he set a bottle of dressing beside it and left. The next waiter set a large dish full of noodles down with a gravy boat while the first waiter placed a dish of raviolis on the table with a different gravy boat. All the while the hostess was putting plates and silverware on the table for each of them. Mark thanked his staff and turned back to them.

“So, there is alfredo in the boat by the fettucine and a red pasta sauce by the raviolis. Let’s dig in!” Mark said with a big smile on his face. Once everyone had got their plates filled and were started eating Mark asked, “So what kinda things do you like to do Ruby?” Ruby swallowed the ravioli she had been eating “I like hanging out with my friends. I sometimes join the school soccer team if I’m gonna be around for a while.” She answered honestly with a shrug. Ruby knew that Mark was trying to get everyone on friendly terms. He seemed to want to get to know her and Yang. Ruby still wasn’t confident she would be here long. She liked Mark and David, but she didn’t want to get attached. She watched everyone eat and laugh together, it was so different. All her other foster parents had just been in it for the money.

They talked about their hobbies and interests, Mark and David’s work, how their new school might be. Before long even desert was eaten and carried away. Mark got up saying something about needing to go close shop. He gave David a kiss and stared around the table. He raised his hand and gave Yang a high five. He stopped and gave Ruby a side hug. “I’ll see you guys when I get home!” he said before hurrying off. It was the first time Ruby felt like she belonged to a proper family, but for how long?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I know it's a bit short but I've been busy. The holidays and planning my wedding have been taking all my spare time. I'll try and upload more often with longer chapters. Have a fun and safe holiday season!  
> ~Riv


	4. Chapter 4

 

The first week flew past before she knew it. Tomorrow would be the first day of school. Ruby had never been in a prep school before. She wondered if the rumors were true. She looked down at the street below as she took another puff. This really was a nice quiet neighborhood. It wasn’t a surprise there was a fancy school that required uniforms in the area. Those kids were thought to be snobs. Ruby hoped that she wouldn’t have to fight any bullies.

Ruby pulled out her phone and called Neo. She finished her cigarette and put it out before tossing it into the gutter. She set her phone on her lap and leaned it against her legs. Neo answered and smiled while she waved. “Hey, what’s up?” Neo signed still smiling. “Nothing much. Just bored, it’s dumb not being able to sneak out with you. I don’t know anyone around here.” Ruby replied, this was the first time she had been placed so far away. “I hope I don’t get moved any farther. Ozpin got the people I’m with to keep me a couple weeks, so he can figure something out. They don’t even try to talk with me anymore. They just let me do what I want. It’s kinda nice.” Ruby frowned at what Neo just said. What would she do without Neo? Neo was tapping her phone to get Ruby’s attention. “I’m sure Ozpin wouldn’t send me far away unless it was his only option.” She signed.

“I guess so. I can’t cut class, but I could come by after school.” Ruby said smiling. She would love to ditch and spend the whole day hanging out, but she needed things to work out here. Neo smiled and signed “Meet you at the swings.” Before she waved her goodbye and hung up. Ruby sighed and pulled another cigarette out and placed it in her mouth.

“That was weird. Who ya talkin to this late chimney?” Ruby turned and saw Yang sitting on the roof next to her. How long had she been there? “Did you just call me chimney?” was all Ruby said in reply. “Well you sure smoke like one.” Yang joked. Ruby rolled her eyes “What are you doing out here anyway?” Ruby asked. “I was on my way out, it was kinda neat watching you move your hands like that.” Yang answered honestly. “Where do you go when you sneak out this late? No way you just go for a walk.” Ruby asked, Yang had already done it twice this week. “Why do you care?” Yang joked, giving Ruby’s shoulder a playful shove. “Really though. I just walk around the neighborhood. It helps me clear my thoughts.” Ruby laughed. “Yeah sure and you really go to a book club every other day.” Ruby taunted.

Yang stood and started walking away. “If you don’t believe me why not come along?” Yang called over her shoulder. Ruby stood up and lit her cigarette. Anything was better than hanging out here. Once they were a little way from the house Ruby lit her cigarette. They walked in silence for a little while, there was a nice breeze and it rustled the trees. “I realize I know more about you than you know about me. So, I’ll answer one question. Anything goes so shoot.” Yang said breaking the silence. Ruby thought about it for a second and decided to ask about the only thing besides the sneaking out that she was curious about.

“Where do you really go during book club?” Ruby asked adding air quotes around book club. Yang chuckled and nodded like she knew that’s what Ruby was going to ask. “Your right I don’t really go to a book club.” Yang said. “No really?” Ruby replied sarcastically. Yang replied to that with a little shove. “I don’t want them to ask to many questions, but I really go to A.A every other day.” The answer shocked Ruby a little. She thought that Yang was just going out with her friends. “Mark and David are sure in for a surprise if they find out they have a couple of delinquents.” Ruby joked in response.

“Ya but I can say I kicked it. They are gonna watch you so hard you’ll basically be grounded forever.” They both laughed a little at that and continued down the street for a while. They rounded a corner and Ruby said, “We should do this again.” Yang nodded her agreement. “ok let’s get back inside. Maybe we will be lucky, and they are already asleep.” Yang said. As they quietly walked past the door it opened.

“So where did you two sneak off to?” Mark said with his arms crossed. “We just went for a walk around the neighborhood. Just kinda getting to know each other.” Yang answered with her most innocent smile. Mark’s scowl turned into a huge smile so fast it shocked them. Ruby and Yang shared a concerned glance while he started gushing. “I’m so glad the two of you are getting along! Oh, I can’t wait to tell David! But please don’t make a habit of climbing out your windows.”

He ushered the girls up to their rooms and turned in for the night. Ruby lay in her bed and thought about how the night had gone. As far as the home life was concerned Ruby had to admit to herself that she liked it there. She hoped she would stay around for a while. She thought about what Yang said when they first met. “Well I guess I should try too.” She muttered to herself before pulling off her pants and jacket before sinking in the covers to try and sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Ruby woke with a groan. She didn’t feel like she had gotten enough sleep. Usually Yang was up and making noise when Ruby woke. It was missing today. _It must be super early._ She thought. Not wanting to move Ruby stayed and tried to relax and fall back asleep instead of checking the time. It was the first day at her new school. That made it even worse. Ruby thought about ditching like she usually did. She could just tell Neo to skip too and hang out with her. The sound of Yang moving in their shared bathroom reminded Ruby that she actually had to try this time.

By the time Yang turned on the shower Ruby felt awake enough to turn over and grab her phone from the night stand. She winced and groaned when unlocking it sent a stinging pain into her eyes. Once they had adjusted she looked at the time. Six fifteen. Not as early as she thought, her alarm was set for six thirty. “Girls! Are you both up? Don’t want to be late!” David yelled up the stairs. “I made Pancakes!” Mark added.  Ruby frowned, on one hang getting up seemed impossible. On the other Mark made pancakes. The light rumble in her belly made the decision. She climbed out of bed and threw on a jacket and shoes.

She moved to her dresser and pulled her pack and lighter from the drawer and headed for the window. Just as she slid the window open her alarm went off, making her jump. “Stupid loud phone.” Ruby grumbled to herself. Before she could hop out the window there was a knock at her door. _Goddammit!_ She shouted in her mind. Yang popped her head in from the bathroom wrapped in a yellow towel. “Hey! Bathrooms yours when you come back in.” she said. Ruby nodded in response. She didn’t even wait to be fully outside before she light her cigarette. She walked around to the side of the house, so she wouldn’t be seen from the street and took a seat at the side of the house.

Ruby could hear Mark and David talking from the kitchen. They had the window and the smell of pancakes made Ruby’s belly rumble loudly. “Relax Mark, your pancakes are perfect. You don’t need to make omelets.” David said. Ruby took another puff and wondered if she should move to avoid eavesdropping. “I just want them to be perfect. I want the girls to like them. If things are perfect every day maybe things will go our way when we ask them.” Mark replied. Ruby could just barely hear him. _What the hell does that mean?_ Ruby was worried and tried to listen more but now Mark was talking about what juice he should make. Ruby walked back around the house putting her cigarette out on the way. She hopped back in her window and sat at the edge. She tried to think of what they were planning on asking.

“Ruby are you up? Breakfast is ready.” David called through the door. “Ya I’m up be down in fifteen.” Ruby called back she got up and hopped into the shower. She did a quick wash followed by a quick towel off. She hurried to put on her uniform and made sure it looked a little sloppy. Ruby grabbed her bag and made sure she had everything she needed before adding her smokes. She put on her socks and was about to put on her shoes when she heard Yang yell from downstairs. “Ruby! It’s been fifteen minutes! Mark won’t let me eat until you come down here so hurry the fuck up!” That was followed by Mark yelling “Language!” Ruby chuckled. It was weird how easily everyone got along. “I’m on my way!” Ruby yelled back down. She threw on her shoes and ran down the stairs.

As she entered the kitchen she tossed her bag onto the floor with Yang’s and heard the end of David telling Yang not to yell. “That goes for you too.” He added to Ruby. Once everyone was seated and had their breakfast served Mark gave permission for them to get started. Ruby knew by now that anything Mark cooked was amazing. She started out with a huge bite and wasn’t surprised when her pancake was of the gods. It was the best she had ever had. Which reminded her of what she overheard. It was never a good thing when she was asked something by an adult. Ruby tried not to think of those other times, but one slipped through anyway. _Where do you want it Ruby? Right or left arm._ Ruby shuttered as the voice off her father echoed through her mind. She really didn’t want it to turn like that here. She could feel the scar from the iron on the back of her right upper arm catch her sleeve. She tried to focus on eating her breakfast. “Yang wear your tie properly. You don’t want to be getting into trouble on your first day.” David said making Yang frown. “But it looks cool.” Yang pouted. She had her tie draped around her shoulders instead of tied around her neck. Ruby hoped that David wouldn’t notice the way her ties knot was loosely tied at her collarbone. “You too Ruby.” He added.

“OK girls into the car. I’ll drive you over.” David said. Mark brought him his suitcase and gave him a kiss. Ruby and Yang stood and walked over, grabbing their bags on the way to the door. Mark hurried after them. “Wait don’t forget your lunches.” He said. He handed them each plastic box. “Thanks.” Ruby said. She took it and put it into her bag. “Have a great day!” Mark called as they walked out. Ruby and Yang both climbed into the back seat and David said. “No fighting over shotgun?” Ruby and Yang were both playing on their phones. _Ok, well time to get them to their first day._ He thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long. I've been working a lot and I took to many classes this semester.


	6. Chapter 6

The first look at the school as they pulled up was of a large gate.  It was wide open and had a sign that read “Knowledge is for all” on the side.  Ruby scoffed _ya if you can pay for it_ she thought.  What kind of fancy school pretended that anyone could go there? Ruby expected a line of cars and buses at the door like at other schools she had attended.  This school seemed pretty deserted though.  They were able to pull up to the door without waiting.

Once they were stopped,  Ruby grabbed her bag and climbed out.  “Where is everyone?  This is a school right? So what gives?” Yang said mirroring Ruby’s thoughts. “Well you two have a meeting to get your schedule and locker info.  So we are a little bit early. Just head into the main office and they will get you set up. Have a good day and I’ll see you at home later.” David said with a smile. The girls walked into the schools front door into what looked like a big sitting area. There were armchairs and sofas arranged into groups and round tables every so often.

Ruby was looking at the stained glass skylight when Yang hit her shoulder to gain her attention. “Hey Chimney.” Yang said. When Ruby looked she saw that Yang was pointing at a sign that said office above a glass door. “Your still going with that?” Ruby said walking with Yang to the door. “Don’t like it? Then quit being a chimney.” Yang replied as they walked through the door. The room’s walls were all dark brown wood. It looked like an old timey mansion. The counter and desks in the office matched. The room was separated from the rest of the school by a glass wall and the door they had just entered from.

There was a receptionist sitting behind the desk that noticed when they entered. “You must be our new students. Good to see you already have your uniforms. I have your entry packets ready to go.” She said before handing each of them a black leather binder. The binder had a silver logo of a pair of axes and their names on the cover. “These binders contain your student handbooks. Make sure you read them and know the rules. They also have your school computers. These are to be used for your studies only. Your handbook contains a map of the school, however there is a more accurate GPS enabled app for your phone. A copy of your class schedule is also included in your handbook, here is a full size print to help with your first couple weeks.” The lady handed them each a piece of paper.

“Alright all that’s left is lockers and a quick tour of the important places on campus. Lockers are opened with your finger print. They can also be opened by the headmaster or myself if needed.” She said while walking towards the door. On the other side she stopped and said “This is the student lounge. Students often gather here to work on projects or study. Some choose to have lunch here as well.” She abruptly turned and walked past the office into a hallway.  It matched the office and had more skylights running along the roof. There were more doors every so often that were made of glass and looked like they went to more modern sections of the building.

“This building was originally much smaller. We have added on the classrooms. The library, cafeteria and offices are the from the original building as well as this main hallway. That door on the right is the cafeteria and the one at the end of the hall is the library. Your lockers are here on the left next to the arts hallway.” The woman started pressing buttons on the lockers keypad and said “Miss Rose this is your locker. Place your finger onto the scanner.” while moving onto the next one and began typing. Ruby placed her left thumb onto the scanner and watched it turn green. When she finished she turned at watched Yang use her right thumb. “That’s the end of our tour. Use your remaining time to find your classrooms. Classes start at nine don’t be late. If you have questions ask your first teacher who will be your advisor.” The secretary said before rushing off the way she came.

“No time for introductions?” Yang said. Ruby shrugged and turned to face Yang. “So my schedule says I’ve got English first. What about you?” She said checking the rest of her schedule. “I’ve got Chem, art and gym. Then lunch English, math and computer science. What we don’t get to pick our classes?” Ruby was pulling out her map and answered “Guess not. At least you don’t have theater.” Ruby scanned the link for the GPS map with her phone and held it up for Yang to do the same. The app asked for Ruby to scan her schedule and when she did the app displayed it on the side and showed her how to get to the next one. “Theater really? That will be fun to watch. What other classes you got?” Yang asked spinning her phone around to test the app.

“I’ve got English, math, history and lunch. Then Biology, gym and theater. It says we have to pick an after school club too.” Ruby answered. She shoved her binder into her bag and turned to follow her map to class. “It’s almost nine better get a move on this map is huge.” She continued, Yang followed her lead and dumped her binder into her bag and followed Ruby. The halls were now full of people trying to get to class. When Ruby got to a door labeled Language Arts she stopped. “I’ll meet you at lunch?” She said turning back to Yang, who nodded and continued down the hall.

Ruby entered the new hallway and followed her map to a classroom in the middle. She entered and noticed that room was almost empty. She turned to the teacher who was behind the desk and said “Excuse me. Are there assigned seats or anything? I’m new.” The teacher turned and smiled at her “Hello, I’m Professor Peach. You can sit wherever you please. I have a course syllabus for you but I’ll go over a few things. The rules are no phones, no talking. That’s true for almost all the classes here. You are joining the semester only a couple weeks late so you only have three assignments to make up. I’ve printed the instructions for them. This is Advanced Creative Writing and class time will be spent working on assignments. I look forward to reading your stories and welcome to Beacon Miss Rose.” Professor Peach handed Ruby a pile of papers and she headed to a desk in the back.

Once seated Ruby started reading the syllabus and got bored. She started looking through the assignments she needed to make up, a syllabus quiz was first. Ruby groaned and looked over the questions. It was multiple choice so she guessed at the answers and set it aside. The next assignment was a two hundred word account of the most interesting thing that’s happened in her life. _Oh ya because I want to tell my teacher about those fun times._ Ruby pulled out the school laptop she was given and turned it on. It asked her to scan her finger and then opened to the home page. She opened a new document and typed up a lie about learning sign with Neo. It wasn’t a full lie, she just left out the foster care and abuse parts.

The next assignment was a writing prompt about what life would be like if she was a cat. By the time class was almost done she had finished all her catch up work and had followed the syllabus instructions to turn them in online. Ruby stood up and took her quiz to Professor Peach’s desk. “I’ve finished the assignments. What should I work on next?” she asked. “You finished all of them? The cat assignment was three pages long.” Professor Peach looked surprised when Ruby nodded. “Well here is the instructions for the assignment the rest of the class is working on.” She handed Ruby a piece of paper and she took it to her desk. It was five minutes until the bell so Ruby put the paper into a folder and started packing up her other stuff.

At the bell Ruby stood and followed her map to math. It was a little ways away. Right at the start the teacher handed her a bunch of packets. He said that there was one for each week she missed and that he wanted them back next Monday. She took a seat in the back and pretended to listen while she started the work packets. It seemed she was in freshman math. Ruby had failed it at her last school. She usually ditched it. It was easy math though and at the end of class she had finished almost one packet.

So far classes had been easy. When she got to History she went right to the desk and waited for the teacher. There was a name plate that said Dr. Oobleck on it. Soon a green haired man dashed around the corner and set a mug on his desk. He looked up and said “You must be my new student! I won’t make you do a whole bunch of make up. Just answer these ten questions and I’ll give you matching grades on the quizzes you have missed.” Ruby took her quiz and went into an adjacent room that Dr. Oobleck pointed to. This quiz was a bit harder than the other make up work she had done. Most of it she had learned before but she wasn’t sure she had done well on it.

Ruby decided to skip the lecture that was going on in the other room. There was only twenty minutes left in class anyway. She sent a text to Neo. “Hey, what’s up?” After a few minutes Neo messaged back. “Nothing new. What about you? Like the new school?” Ruby smiled “It’s to preppy. Kinda miss the metal detectors.” Ruby talked to Neo until the bell rang and gave her quiz to Dr. Oobleck on the way out. He looked at it for a couple seconds and declared she got a B. Ruby didn’t stay to see what she missed and snuck out with the crowd heading to lunch. She had a text from Yang saying to meet in the student lounge. Ruby cut through the crowd and bumped into a red head that said a small “I’m sorry” before heading off. Once she made it to the lounge she looked for Yang and spotted her sitting with a couple of people. A black haired girl with cat ears and a blonde guy that looked like he had some sort of tail. _Wonder who they are._ She thought while she headed over.


	7. Chapter 7

Ruby sat down at the table. “This is Ruby. Ruby this is Blake and Sun.” Ruby smiled and waved. Of course Yang had friends already. Ruby leaned over to pull her lunch from her bag. Which seemed to remind Yang that she had a lunch too. Ruby opened her lunch and smiled, lunch looked amazing. Ruby wondered how much Yang had told Blake and Sun. She wasn’t sure what she wanted people to know and was even less sure about Yang. “So how do you two know each other?” Sun asked. Yang glanced up at Ruby their eyes met. Both unsure what they should say. “We’re sisters, both got adopted by the same couple.” Yang answered. That was an ok lie, close enough to the truth to remember. Ruby was surprised that Yang had called them sisters, they had only met a week ago.

  
Blake was talking to Yang about the school and Ruby just sat quietly and listened. She picked at her lunch. It was the best lunch she had ever had but she was used to not eating at lunch and all the socialization going on made her a little anxious. “So Ruby what class you got next?” Sun asked. Blake and Yang were still talking behind him. “Biology. I hope I don’t get a bunch of make up work again.” Ruby replied. She tried not to be awkward but she didn’t have much practice. Where she was now she could only talk to Neo comfortably. “Cool! So do I, it’s not so bad Jefferson is really nice. She kinda doubles as the photography teacher for photo club too.”

  
Sun had his tail swishing around behind him. Ruby had known a lot of faunus, but never had hung out with one. Back in the slums everyone hung out with their own people, things were really different here. Sun was still going on and on about different clubs. He was in an activities club, Blake was in the photo club and a book type club. “You picked a club yet? It’s kinda required.” Ruby looked up at him and noticed she had everyone’s attention as Yang and Blake rejoined them. “I’m not sure there are a lot of them.” Ruby replied quietly. “You both have a week to decide. Don’t rush it and get stuck with something you hate." Blake said. Sun chuckled “You don’t wanna end up like Neptune. I put his name on the swim club form as a joke. He didn’t show up that day and got stuck with it.” Sun was laughing but Ruby didn’t know why. “Neptune is afraid of water.” Blake said, letting them in on the secret.

  
It turned out that Sun had a matching afternoon schedule as Ruby so when lunch was over they headed off to Biology together. When Ruby came in the teacher asked her “What are two of the four main parts of a cell?” Ruby quickly answered “Cytoplasm and Ribosomes.” Professor Jefferson smiled and said “I’ll count that as your make up. You’ll start with a flat A, work hard and keep it.” Ruby nodded and headed to an empty desk next to Sun. The lesson went by slowly and Ruby took to doodling at her desk, when a piece of paper hit her desk. It had a game of hangman on it. It had two words and eleven letters. She wrote an A in the blank space under the game then passed it back to Sun. Pretty soon Ruby was handed the paper revealing that she had lost. The phrase being filled in as Boring Class. They past the rest of class playing tic tac toe.

  
Ruby parted from Sun at the entrance to the locker rooms. Where Ruby changed into the t-shirt and shorts combo that was the gym uniform. Before she knew it she was standing next to Sun in a line waiting for the teacher to finish explaining the rules for badminton. There were mini courts all over the soccer field and the teach said they should pair off and get playing. Ruby turned to ask if Sun would partner with her and caught him staring at her arms. Before she could feel self conscious about the old scars she knew he was looking at he grabbed her and pulled her off to a court away from the others.

  
“Ok so I’m gonna kick your ass so don’t feel bad when I destroy you.” Sun joked taking his place on one side of the net. They played a couple rounds and ended up tied at four matches each. There wasn’t time for another match but Sun suggested that next point wins, then sent a spike out of her reach. They sat next to each other in the grass and waited to be told to go change. Ruby wasn’t one to volunteer information about her past but knew that things needed to change if she was going to make things work. “Go ahead and ask Sun. If you don’t it’ll bother you forever.” She said pulling her knees to her chest. “Well my girlfriend and your sister are really getting along. You mind hanging out with us?” Ruby looked over at him, he seemed to always have a goofy smile on his face. “No, I don’t mind. I’m kinda stuck with you for the last few classes everyday anyway.” Ruby answered.

  
Back in the locker room Ruby decided to take Sun’s advice and not shower. He said that they would just get all sweaty again in theater. When she was about to head out someone blocked her way. “So I saw you hanging around Sun. You know he has a girlfriend and if that’s not working out I’ve got dibs. So maybe just let the girls that can show skin move in. Hey scars?” They girl pushed past her out the door and a couple other girls came up behind her. “Don’t mind her, Cinder is a bit bitchy but mostly harmless.” A red head said. Behind her was a familiar face “Nora don’t swear. Hello again I’m Pyrrha and this is Nora.” It was the girl Ruby had bumped into in the hallway earlier. “I’m fine. Just trying not to throw the first punch.” Ruby replied. They headed into the hallway together and Ruby regrouped with Sun while the other two headed in another direction.

  
“So what is up with this theater stuff?” Ruby asked. “Well it’s actually tech theater the last hour of the day. We mostly build and paint stuff. It’s an easy art credit if you can’t draw.” Sun said as he lead the way down a set of stairs. “This is kinda under the stage in the auditorium. There are storage rooms down here and this staircase that goes back up leads to the shop. That’s where our class is this way is much faster that going around the front.” Sun continued. Once they entered the shop they waited for the teacher to come.

  
“OK today we are starting preparations for this years musical. We didn’t get enough people to audition so we won’t be doing Titanic like I wanted. Instead we are going to do Sweeny Todd, as requested by the cast. How many of you know what it’s about?” Only one hand was raised. It was a white haired girl sitting on a black box near the teacher. She had a clipboard and looked like a teachers pet. “Alright everyone other than Weiss will be required to at least watch the movie. It’s important to know what sets are used for. Today we are going to be getting the shop and stage ready for construction. Meaning that we need to clean and organize everything. I’ll take this half to the stage and Weiss you take the rest in here.” Sun and Ruby were placed in the Weiss group. They spent the whole hour organizing used lengths of boards. When they were finished Weiss wrote down what they had.

  
Sun had been right about getting sweaty again. It was the end of class and Ruby was working on sweeping up the part of the shop she had been using. “Hello. I noticed that your new. I’m Weiss, I’m the stage manager for the theater.” Ruby stopped sweeping and turned around. “I’m Ruby. Nice to meetcha.” Ruby replied flatly. She didn’t understand why Weiss was talking to her. “If you haven’t already chosen a club, maybe you would consider joining the technical crew. We are short a few members and could really use the extra hands.” Weiss stated, she seemed cold. “I’ll think about it.” Was Ruby’s answer, just as the bell rang.

  
Weiss walked off in a hurry and started talking with the theater teacher who insisted on being called Amy instead of her last name. Ruby headed for the front of the school and found Yang in the commons. She was still hanging around with Blake. Ruby started their way and noticed one of Blake’s ears flick to face her. “Hey you two how was theater?” Yang said. “Awesome! Gonna start preping for a show soon.” Sun answered. Ruby hadn’t realized he was still with her.  
On their way out of the building Blake offered them a ride and they all climbed into her black sedan. It was really nice, one of the best Ruby had ever been in. “So you guys busy later? I’ve gotta be home for dinner with my mom but movie night? Me and Ruby have theater homework. Gotta watch Sweeny Todd before Wednesday. Maybe tomorrow after school? Whatever works.” Sun asked with his head poked around his seat to look at them in the back. When they arrived Sun gave Ruby his number and said they would work something out.

  
Ruby followed Yang through the door. There was noise coming from the kitchen so they headed that way. David was sitting at the table surrounded by files. He still had his suit on but his tie was missing. He looked up and smiled “ How was your first day?” Yang shrugged and Ruby said “fine”. “Girls! Come taste these!” Mark called to them from the stove. They dropped their bags and headed over. There were six plates sitting on the counter, each with a piece of cake sitting on it. “I’m adding cakes to the desert menu so pick your favorites!” Ruby smiled, this really seemed like a normal family.  
Ruby sat in her usual spot on the roof. It was the first chance she had gotten to smoke all day. She had made plans with Sun to watch their homework movie after school tomorrow. It was weird how things seemed so normal here. Mark and David treated them better than any foster parents Ruby ever had. School was good and she had a friend. Ruby hoped things would be different this time and that maybe she could stay here for a while.


	8. Chapter 8

Ruby plopped down on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and a couple grape sodas. Sun took one of them and started the movie. “So, what is the deal with this show?” Ruby asked while it started. “It’s about a barber that kills people. I won’t tell you more than that. Don’t wanna spoil it.” Ruby frowned at the answer and toss some popcorn at him making him laugh.

David pulled the car into the drive way and Mark helped him grab the shopping bags. They entered the house and took their shoes off. Mark popped his head into the living room wondering what the music was coming from. “Oh Hello. I’m Mark. What are you two up too?” Ruby turned to him and said “We are watching a movie for class. We are doing this show at the end of the semester. This is Sun.” Ruby said. Mark told them that dinner would be ready soon and headed into the kitchen.

“Is that a boy in there?” David asked. Mark nodded. “His name is Sun and they are watching a movie for school.” He said. Yang came into the room and started putting on her shoes. “Hey Yang, what do you know about that Sun boy?” David asked. Yang looked up “Is he here? He is Ruby’s new friend. He and my friend Blake are a thing and they hang out with us.” She responded with a shrug.

“I’m heading out to my club now.” Yang said and headed on her way out the door. “You think she would tell us where she really goes if we ask?” David asked with a smirk. “Maybe but it might be too early. Ozpin told us not to push it.” Mark replied. “They have been here a while. Maybe we should have a meeting.” David smiled at Mark. They knew from the beginning what their end goal was. He got up and wrapped his arms around Marks neck. “Everything will be alright.” He said. Mark nodded and replied. “Ok, tomorrow when they come home from school.”

* * *

 

Ruby walked into school and headed to her locker. Yang grabbed what she needed from her locker and ran off to look for Blake and Sun. Someone came up and leaned on Yang’s locker once she was gone. “Hey there. I heard a rumor that a certain handsome blonde was at your house yesterday.” Ruby turned and frowned at Cinder. “Yeah he likes to hang out with me. Got a problem with that?” Ruby snarked. She didn’t think that Cinder would do anything but call her names or pick on her for the scares her father had given her. Cinder smiled at her and waited till a passing teacher was gone before clawing Ruby’s face with her fake nails. “Don’t you cross me.” Cinder said before walking past into the crowed.

Ruby went immediately to the bathroom and grabbed some paper towels. She had three lines across her right jawline. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do about Cinder, but knew that she needed to come up with something good.

By the time lunch rolled around Ruby’s cuts had faded into dull red scratches. She hoped that Yang wouldn’t notice. Although she was unsure why. Ruby found her friends easily. She sat down and pulled out her lunch. Smiling at the note David had left on her silverware. _Half way there!_ “You aren’t gonna try and tell us you walked into a door, are you?” Sun said. Ruby looked up and replied, “No. I was gonna tell you that someone accidently shoved me into a locker.” She started eating and ignored the silence the group was using to get her to continue.

“So, what actually happened to your face?” Blake asked. “Yeah, you know David is gonna freak.” Yang added. Ruby shrugged “Some bitch doesn’t like me hanging out with Sun. I said something smart and she hit me, ok?” “Wait. Who? The only one who should be beating on girls I hang with is Blake and she wouldn’t go the bully route.” Sun said crossing his arms. He didn’t like that someone was using him as an excuse to bully Ruby. “Don’t worry about it. I’m coming up with a revenge plan. I may need help with it when I come up with a perfect prank.” Ruby said. Both Yang and Sun agreed to be accessories.

Ruby did her best to ignore Sun during Biology. By the end of class, she had the most detailed notes she had ever taken. She looked up and noticed Weiss was there. She looked like she was helping the teacher with grading quizzes. She was giving Ruby an odd look and Ruby decided to ignore it and pack up her things. “Come on Ruby talk to me. I want to know who it is.” Ruby continued to ignore him until they got to the locker rooms and Ruby handed him a small scrap of paper. It said, “It’s Cinder but don’t do anything about it.” Ruby walked up to her locker and felt a hand shove her forward. She hit her cheek on the door and frowned at the way it stung. “Now it won’t be a lie.” Cinder said on her way though.

Ruby exited the locker room and headed into the gym. Sun was frowning at her. “Again?” he asked and Ruby just nodded. They paired up again as the teacher started droning on about the proper way to do a push up. Sun seemed to quit bugging her about the bulling thing and seemed to be focusing on not glaring at Cinder.

Ruby broke from Sun and pretended to be going to the bathroom. Instead she snuck out and hid around the corner from the theaters loading dock. She quickly lit her cigarette and stayed alert so she wouldn’t be caught. She realized that she was ten minutes late for class by the time she finished. She hopped through the docks side door and tried to discreetly join the class. Weiss appeared and blocked her way. “So first your taking serious notes then your sneaking into class late. I won’t tattle if you tell me why your late truthfully.” She said crossing her arms. “Fine I had a hard time in gym and took a smoke break happy?” Ruby replied. “Well I will be true to my word but that is a disgusting habit. Anyway, have you made up your mind about joining the Tech club?” Weiss continued. “Um, yeah I did some thinking about that and I’ve decided that the other available clubs aren’t to my liking.” Ruby said mimicking Weiss’s businesslike tone. “I’ll get you the paperwork then. You’ll need to have a parent or guardian sign it.”

 

Ruby walked up to the house with Yang just behind her. “Like this?” Yang said. Ruby just shook her head. She had been trying to teach Yang sign. She had thought it looked cool and had wanted to learn it and Ruby offered to teach her. Ruby was trying to teach her how to hold a conversation. “Close you need to twist your wrists more. Like this.” Ruby watched Yang copy her to make sure she had it. Then opened the door and shouted “Hey, we are back!” She kicked her shoes off and dumped her bag by the door. She took her lunch box put and grabbed Yang’s from her while she took off her boots. Ruby walked into the kitchen and dumped the boxes in the sink.

“Hey! Looks like you had a good day. Could you grab Yang and come to the table please?” Mark said. Ruby nodded and headed back into the foyer. “Hey Yang looks like they want to talk to us” She said before popping back into the kitchen and taking her usual seat at the table. They sat there in an awkward silence until Yang arrived and took a seat.

“So, what’s up?” Yang asked. “Well we wanted to talk with you two.” Mark started. They looked really nervous and kept fidgeting, especially Mark who looked like he wanted to cry. “We feel like this is working out well, and would like your permission to ask Ozpin for a permanent placement.” David finished. “You don’t have to answer now. Take some time to think about it. We can talk about it again later.” David rushed out. Yang looked over at Ruby and signed “ _They are the first to treat me well. I don’t have a problem with it. What do you think?”_ Ruby smiled and signed back slowly “ _One that was perfect, and B I think that this is as good as it’s gonna get for us. I like them and they treat us well. I say let’s go for it_ ” Ruby waited to make sure that Yang had understood her and turned to Mark and David when she got the ok.

The men were staring at them with a mix of confusion and anxiousness on their faces. “We’re good with that.” Yang answered blatantly while Ruby nodded along. “Well we are glad you feel that way.” David started a little stunned. Mark was tearing up a little. “We want you girls to feel like you can talk to us about anything. So, if there is anything that you would like to talk to us about we are here.” Mark said a little thick throated.


	9. Chapter 9

Ruby smiled brightly on her way to lunch. It had been such a good day. Cinder hadn’t showed up to first period and without her the others didn’t pick on her. Mark had packed her an amazing lunch too. Ruby stopped at her locker on her way. She had learned to keep her lunch locked up since Cinder thought it was funny to ruin it. Ruby looked at the cookies nestled in their corner of the lunch box and smiled. She was glad that she had been placed with mark and David. She was even gladder that it was going to be her last stop.

Ruby shut her locker and turned around. She noticed Wiess rush by clutching some books to her chest. Ruby rarely saw Weiss outside of the theater and wasn’t surprised when that’s where she went. Ruby wondered if Weiss always had lunch there. She moved on to find Yang around where they usually ate. She frowned when she saw that Sun wasn’t there. Yang and Blake were talking about some “hottie” Yang had met. Ruby wasn’t good at girl talk and was happy that when she sat down Blake changed the subject. “Hi Ruby, Sun won’t be here for lunch he got into some trouble and has to help Peach print out worksheets as punishment.” She said smiling her Blake half smile.

“What did he do to deserve that?” Yang asked. “His phone rang in class.” Blake answered with an eye roll. “That sucks. I’m sure he is gonna tell me all about it.” Ruby said taking a huge bite out of one of her cookies. She decided that cookies were more important than the healthy part of her lunch.

Ruby didn’t see Sun until he sat next to her in class. He didn’t pass any notes and seemed to be paying attention. _Guess he doesn’t want to be in anymore trouble._ Ruby thought. He didn’t start talking to her until they were back in the hallway. “Man I am never going to forget to silence my phone again!” He said putting his hands behind his head and stretching. “Peach ragged on and on about how unhealthy my lunch was too. Like why is banana bread and butter so bad?” Ruby laughed a little and shook her head. “At least they didn’t send you to Oobleck.” Ruby commented smiling. She looked up ahead and saw Cinder go into the locker room. She parted from Sun and went straight to her locker. She stuffed her bag in and was about to pull out her gym clothes when she got a tap on her shoulder. “We don’t have to wear out uniforms today just our shoes.” Phhrrah said with a smile as she passed.

Ruby sat on the bench to change her shoes and cringed when Cinder’s voice came from behind her. “So I heard a rumor that you and your sister are adopted. Nice of those fosters for pulling you out of the slums. How do things work in a house that had two dads? Like do you yell and they both answer? Also is it gross to watch them kiss?” Ruby was fine to take the verbal abuse from Cinder and her friends when it was directed at her, but it really got under her skin to hear her talk about Mark and David that way. “Another thing. I heard that sister of yours is a total slut. Hmm who did I hear that from? Em? Oh that’s right I didn’t but it might get around anyway.” Cinder continued. That was it. Ruby stood up and turned around.

“You know what Cinder it’s not gross to see them kiss. I think they are kinda cute. Also since we call them by their names there isn’t any confusion. And if I hear that people are calling Yang anything I’ll be sure to let Sun know who started that rumor and how much of a bitch they are.” Ruby responded, putting as much sass as possible into it. Emerald responded by shoving her over the bench onto the floor and Cinder finished it with a kick to the stomach. “I would be careful who you threaten.” Cinder called on her way out.

Ruby entered the gym last and was marked tarty. She hoped they didn’t call parents for a first offence. Sun was giving her a questioning look. Today in gym they were doing a worksheet. They were supposed to set fitness goals and devise a plan to keep them. Ruby jogged over to where Sun was sitting and wrote some crap about going for runs with David. It wasn’t hard to come up with because they had done that a couple times. Sun copied the plan and they had extra time to hang out. Sun turned to Ruby “So you don’t have to answer but where did you get all those scars? I mean that one is oddly iron shaped.”

Ruby turned to him. She wasn’t sure how much she should say, until she remembered that she trusted Sun. “That one _is_ from an iron, these are from cigarettes, and the others are from random objects that were thrown at me or I was hit with.” Ruby waited for Sun’s reaction, but he didn’t seem to really have one. “You wanna talk about it?” He asked turning toward the group. Ruby had only talked about it with Neo, but she decided there wasn’t any harm is Sun knowing.

“My dad wasn’t very good. When he was mad he would hit me or throw something at me. Sometimes there really wasn’t a reason. He liked to use me as an ash tray, just because he could.” Ruby reached up and wrapped her hand around the iron scar. “This one he made me choose which arm he was going to burn.” Ruby didn’t say any more. She was waiting for Sun to process what she said. “Is that why you were put in the system?” He asked trying to look her in the eye. “No, I was put in the system because my dad went to prison for beating my Mom to death.” Ruby turned to Sun and gave him a lopsided smile. She didn’t want him to feel bad about asking. He didn’t ask anything else or try and tell her how sorry he was that that had happened to her. He just put an arm over her shoulder and gave her a hug.

Ruby pulled her backpack out of her locker. She wanted to be out of the locker room fast. She didn’t want to end up alone with Cinder. Those hopes were crushed when Cinder and Emerald leaned against the lockers on either side of her. “You know I don’t like this back bone you’ve grown. Frist you try and tell me off, then you get all snuggly with Sun right in front of me.” Cinder said. “I wonder how much longer you’ll be friends with Blake when she hears you are putting the moves on her man, or how long until she dumps him for being too cozy with you.” Cinder gave a little shrug and left.

Ruby didn’t think that Blake would believe anyone who told her anything like that. Blake wasn’t the controlling jealous type. Ruby wasn’t worried that such rumors would do any real damage. What she worried about was news of her being picked on would make it back to Mark. She knew he would go all protective and get David in on it. Ruby was pretty sure that Yang would plan some kind of revenge that could get her expelled. That train of thought stayed in her mind all the way to the theater.

When Ruby entered there were people all spread out on the stage working on projects. Ruby wasn’t really friends with anyone other than Sun, but people smiled and waved at her as she passed. She turned into the mini theater connected to the main theater. Ruby had been told it was used for classes but had never seen it used. She walked into the doorway of Mrs. Day’s office. She expected to find Weiss there like she always was at the start of class. Ruby just shrugged and set the papers she had to turn in on the keyboard. When she returned to the theater she noticed that Weiss was still missing. She joined Sun in working on building some flats that would eventually become walls.

“You seen Weiss?” Ruby asked. He looked around for a minute and pointed out into the audience. “Looks like she just came in.” He said. “It’s not like her to be late.” Ruby said. “Why do you care?” Sun asked. Ruby didn’t answer. She didn’t know why she cared. Weiss usually helped with the building. She made sure things were being done right and that everyone was working on something. Today she went straight into the sound booth. She was still there at the end of class. Ruby headed down the aisle toward her. While the teacher instructed others to clean up. “Hey Weiss. I put the papers you told me to have a parent sign on Mrs. Day’s desk. Thought I’d let you know.” Weiss looked up at her “Oh good. We are going to start getting the more technical stuff done after school. We are starting next week on Tuesday.”

Something was bothering Weiss and Ruby wanted to know what it was. She had never seen Weiss with any friends and wondered if she was just lonely. “Hey if you want you can sit with me and Sun at lunch.” Ruby said. Weiss sort of reminded her of the way that Neo used to be. All alone because no one bothered to try and talk to the deaf girl. “I might do that, thank you” Weiss responded politely. She didn’t look so sure. Ruby decided that it was happening, she would just have to force Weiss into it somehow.

 

The day had been long. Ruby hadn’t had time to steal a smoke break and felt like she really needed one after everything that happened. As usual she hopped out her window and took a seat. She was half way through when Mark popped his head out her window. “Hey, Kiddo. What are you doing out on the roof?” He asked while he climbed out and joined her. Ruby panicked for a second but decided that she was already busted and might as well finish her smoke. She turned to Mark who looked a little horrified. “Well I am hiding so I can smoke without getting in trouble. Mission failed.” She said taking another drag. She waited for Mark to yell. A short time went by and he still hadn’t.

“You know smoking is really bad for you.” It was definitely a statement not a question. “Yes I do.” She replied figuring he was going to try talking her into quitting, then tell her she had to when that didn’t work. “Then why do you do it?” He asked. He was looking at her in a calm polite way. Like he really wanted to know the answer. “Helps me handle my stress. Sometimes get my thoughts together.” She answered honestly. Mark deserved that much. She looked over at him and he was just nodding. “I can understand that. Maybe we could try and find a better way. Think about it?” He asked. He reached out and patted her shoulder. He hopped back into the window and called back. “I would hate to lose you to cancer.”

* * *

Yang grabbed her keys and helmet. Things were starting to get a little stressful and she was really starting to want a drink. Just one, but she knew she could never stop at just one. She decided it was a good idea to attend an extra meeting. It wasn’t really extra but she had only been going once a week instead of twice lately. She jogged down the stairs and grabbed her riding jacket from the closet and but her boots on.

“Where are you headed off to in such a hurry?” David asked from the kitchen doorframe. Yang automatically went with the book club lie but David didn’t look like he believed her. “Really? You can’t come up with anything better than book club?” He chuckled and shook his head. He walked across the entryway into the living room. “Come on, let’s talk about this book club a minute.” Yang groaned. She didn’t really want to get into this but thought that maybe she should. Mark and David might just be her last stop, and even if they weren’t she would probably still see them. She entered the living room and took a seat on the sofa.

“Ok so you know you don’t have to invent a book club to hang out with your friends right? Whatever is really going on can’t be bad enough that you need to come up with a crazy excuse.” Damn why didn’t she think of that. After a moment of silence David continued “Well I don’t wanna make you late. Just be back by dinner. You don’t have to say but where do you really go when you say book club? It’s always same days at the same times. I’m a little curious.”

“Honestly, It really is a kind of club.” She started. “Oh really do tell. What kind of club could keep miss no schedules in regular attendance?” David asked. “It’s AA. I always go once a week and sometimes I go twice. It depends on how the week goes.” She waited to hear something negative or condescending and was surprised when David said “Ok then. I am glad to hear it. If you want to talk more about it I’m here and so is Mark. Let us know if you need anything. You better get going if you don’t want to be late.” He smiled and watched her head out.

He was a little surprised. He never expected to learn that one of his girls had a drinking problem. “So I have news.” Mark said walking over and taking the seat Yang had just occupied. “It would seem Ruby is a smoker.” He continued. “Well isn’t that something. What approach are we going for with that?” David asked. “We are going to find a better way for her to manage her stress and aim for quitting.” Mark looked up at David looking for approval on the way he handled the situation. “Speaking of quitting. It would seem I have similar news for you.” Mark cocked his head to the side. “I just learned that Yang’s book club is actually code for AA meetings. I guess we have a smoker and a recovering drunk.” He said scooting over and pulling Mark in for a cuddle.

Today was really too much for Ruby. She felt the need to get away. She texted Neo. “What are you doing tonight?” She changed out of her uniform and into a pair of jeans and a t shirt. By the time she was half way done Neo had responded. “Beers at the usual place. You wanna come?” Ruby smiled. She wondered who all was gonna show. “duh. Meat you there.” She said. She finished changing and put on some sturdy shoes. The usual beer place was a little creak hidden away in some hiking trails. It was pretty close by, about a half hour walk.

By the time Ruby made it to the spot almost all the usual people had shown up. Ruby didn’t really remember everyone’s names. She took a seat next to Neo who handed her a beer. Ruby smiled and chugged as much as she could in one go, needing a second go to finish it. She lost track of time. She remembered telling Neo all about her day. She remembered Neo offering to help her kill Cinder. It made her laugh. By the time she remembered to look at the clock she was barely able to stand. She pulled out her phone and saw a slew of texts. They were mostly from Yang. “Where did you go?” “It’s been hours.” “you ok?” There were a couple calls. It was almost three am.

Ruby panicked. She knew that she would be grounded forever. She told Neo goodbye and started walking home, quickly texting Yang back. “You up? I need you to let me in when I get there. I can’t climb up to my window.” She walked a little longer and was starting to walk through the yard to the door when Yang appeared in the doorway. “Hurry up before they wake up. I told them we were hanging out in my room.” She said. Ruby quickened her pace and was confused when she suddenly stopped.  She looked up confused before realizing she had walked into the doorframe. Yang grabbed her arm and lead her up the stairs into her room.

Once Ruby was safely sitting on her bed she looked up to say thanks but Yang was standing there looking a little angry. “You made me worry you know.” She said. “You can’t just disappear for hours and not at least tell me you are going somewhere. Then you come back so wasted you can’t even get up the stairs.” Yang looked like she was going to keep going but Ruby interrupted. “I’m fine Yang. Neo invited me out. I know how to take care of myself I’ve done this before.” She started. But stopped when she saw the way Yang was looking at her. “Just be more careful please. Not just physically. Don’t drink for the wrong reasons. It starts as drinking to forget a bad day, but if you’re not careful you could start waking up in ditches.”

With that Yang left, leaving Ruby wondering if that had happened. She imagined Yang waking up hungover in a ditch. _That won’t happen to me._ She thought.


	10. Chapter 10

Ruby groaned as she shuffled down the stairs. She felt like shit and didn’t feel like going to school today. When she walked into the kitchen Yang got up and walked out. Mark gave her an odd look. “You two didn’t have a fight or something right?” He said before placing the last of the dishes into the dishwasher and starting it. “I don’t think so.” Ruby replied. “Well you better hurry Blake and Sun should be here any minute.” He said with a smile. Soon after Ruby was throwing on her shoes. Yang came running down the stairs behind her and disappeared into the garage. Ruby went outside to wait for her ride. She watched Yang speed of on her motorcycle and frowned.  _ I hope she’s not mad at me for last night.  _ She thought to herself.

When Ruby looked up at her locker she was a little surprised to see Yang leaning against it. “Hey.” Ruby greeted when she arrived. “Hi.” Yang said. She looked a little uncomfortable but continued. “Sorry about this morning. I just didn’t want to see you hungover.” Ruby chuckled and turned to see Yang avoiding eye contact. “You don’t have to apologize. I’m glad that’s all it is. I was worried that you were mad at me. But I can understand why you wouldn’t want to see me sick and puky.” Ruby said. She finished putting everything she need to into her locker and leaned next to Yang. “I guess that would be gross. But it’s more that I don’t like to be reminded of how I used to wake up like that every day. I’m not mad at you either. Just don’t disappear in the middle of the night and not text me back. I was worried.” Yang said with a smile before rushing off.

It was getting time to go to class, but she really didn’t think she could handle it today. So instead she made her way to the theaters loading dock. She took a seat at the edge and popped a cigarette into her mouth. After a couple drags she pulled out her phone and texted Neo. “You as hungover as me? Cuz I feel like shit.” She waited a while. Finishing her smoke and putting it out before shrugging and lighting a second one. She smiled when her phone beeped. “Can’t talk. dying.” Ruby laughed. It was a really nice morning to just sit here. Once she finished and put out her smoke she decided to play some games on her phone. Deciding that the first two classes weren’t worth going to. Maybe she would show up for history.

By the time second hour was almost over she decided to light up one more time before going in to face the rest of the day. She was startled when the bay door started opening. She hid the cigarette behind her back and tried to think of a lie to tell whatever teacher had caught her. “Oh hello. Shouldn’t you be in class?” Weiss said obviously surprised to see Ruby sitting there. Ruby gave a sigh of relief turning back around and patting the spot beside her. “Shouldn’t you be?” She asked taking another drag. Weiss walked to the edge but didn’t sit down. “I have a free period. I usually spend it working on something for the show. I was opening the door to get some fresh air in.” Weiss was still behind her and Ruby preferred to be facing the people she was talking too. So, she turned around and sat criss-cross. Weiss gave a little gasp and said “Are you smoking again?” Shit Ruby didn’t think that Weiss would care and really hoped Weiss wasn’t the snitch type. “umm ya. I’m supposed to be quitting but not making much progress. I was only gonna skip English and Math if that makes it a little better.”

“You didn’t really seem like the type to skip any classes.” Weiss said before awkwardly taking a seat on the edge of the dock. “I used to all the time. But I have been trying my hardest to make things work here.” She rested her head on her knees and took another drag.  “So you only decided that you would try because you got into private school?” Weiss responded with a frown. “That seems like a dumb reason.” Ruby sighed. “That is a dumb reason, but it’s not mine.” she took another drag and put it out when Weiss looked at her like she just ate a live rat.

“Then where did the motivation to show up come from?” Weiss replied. She seemed like she didn’t talk to people very much and Ruby wondered why Weiss was always by herself. “I just got put in a new place. The foster parents are actually nice this time and I can tell they care about me. So me and Yang are gonna help each other make it work. Which means I need to get rid of my old habits. Like ditching and smoking.” Ruby didn’t know why she felt so comfortable sharing that with Weiss. She usually only opened up to Neo. Weiss just nodded. She seemed unsure of what to say. They fell into a comfortable silence. Until Weiss stood. “I need to get back in, and you should go to class. I assume I will see you in class, unless you ditch again.” She said before turning around and heading towards the door. _Was that a joke?_ Ruby thought to herself with a smile. “That was a terrible joke.” Ruby said also standing to head inside. Once they were walking onto the stage Weiss turned to a set of tables and chairs that were laid out on tarps.

Ruby watched Weiss start stirring something in a can that made a horrible smell. “So that's why you wanted the door open.” Ruby said walking closer to see what Weiss was going to do with it. “I need to stain these all the same color. They are going to use them for the class recitals.” Weiss said, there was a little bit of a smile in her voice. “You really like this stuff don’t you? You are always helping someone with something in here. I mean you even have lunch in here.”

“I didn’t know anyone knew that. I don’t do much during lunch though. I usually find something to organize.” Ruby frowned at that. Nope Weiss wasn’t going to be spending lunch alone anymore. It seemed like Weiss was always alone and lunch was going to be removed from that list. “I guess something is going to be left unorganized today. You are gonna come have lunch with me today.” Ruby said it like a fact. She was trying not to leave any room for Weiss to get out of it.

“Thank you for the offer bu-” Weiss started before being cut off. “Nope I insist. I’ll see you later. I guess I’ve got history to learn.” Ruby rushed off to avoid giving Weiss a chance to reply. She still had some time before the bell rang to end second period, so she headed to her locker to drop her unused math and english stuff and grab what she needed for biology. She turned a corner and rushed to back up. Cinder was standing next to her own locker and Ruby really didn’t want to be alone in the hallway with her. She peaked her head around the corner to get a look. It looked like Cinder was putting on some make up. Ruby squinted hoping to get a clearer idea of how long she would be stuck hiding.

It looked like Cinder had a bruise on her jaw. She was gently dabbing it with a sponge looking thing. Each dab made the bruise harder and harder to see. Ruby had seen enough injures to know that a bruise like that came from getting punched. She wondered if Cinder had gotten into a fight, but her gut told her that it was most likely something worse.  _ Guess that’s why she’s such a bitch. _ Ruby took a deep breath and turned the corner as she approached Cinder she noticed that part of the bruises edge was still showing.

“You missed a spot. You can still see some purple along the top.” Ruby had wanted to walk past. She figured that Cinder wouldn't do anything without her back up but make snide comments. She was surprised when Cinder grabbed her and pushed her back into a locker. “You never saw a thing. Got it.” Cinder said. Ruby straightened herself and pulled up her sleeves. Cinder had picked on her for having scars. Now that Ruby knew Cinder had a similar problem she wondered if she could make some kinda truce.

“I got this one when my Dad pressed an iron into me. These are from him putting his cigarettes out. Nearly all of them are from him. I get what it's like for you. I won't make it worse by spreading it around.” Ruby watched Cinder look at her arms. She let Ruby go and started dabbing her sponge along the top until it was gone.  “Did I get it all?” She asked. Ruby looked and nodded. Cinder took a deep breath and shut her locker. “My Dad is a good guy. He just loses his temper sometimes. This doesn't happen often, hardly ever. I shouldn't have pushed his buttons so hard.” Cinder didn't seem like she was trying to convince anyone, she really meant it. Ruby frowned and replied.

“It's not your fault. It doesn't matter if you pushed him. Or did something to make him angry. Dad's should never hit their kids. I won't say anything, but if it gets bad you can come to me with it.” Cinder frowned at her then stormed off. Ruby watched her go. Ruby hurried to her locker and swapped out her books. She made sure she had everything for the day and grabbed her lunch. Hoping that her chat with Cinder would keep it safe. Just as she finished the bell rang. Ruby turned toward the hall that held history class and started that way. Before long the whole hallway was filled with people.

Ruby took her seat and waited for some kind of horrible lecture to start. She pulled out her notebook, but when Oobleck started talking she decided to just copy what he wrote on the board. She ended up spacing out. She was thinking about Cinder. Wondering if the bruise on her jaw was the only one. How bad things at home were for her. Then she started thinking about Weiss. She was a lot nicer than most people thought. She wondered if Weiss would show up for lunch or if Ruby would have to go find her. The hour passed pretty quickly. Ruby jotted down some specifics about some homework and put her things away. Once the bell rang she sped off to lunch. She was the first to arrive and started pulling out her lunch while she waited.

Soon she saw Blake and Yang walking over. As they sat down Ruby looked for Sun but didn't find him. “Where's Sun?” Ruby asked Blake. “Ditching with Neptune. He will be back for gym though.” Blake said. Ruby had heard them talk about Neptune before but had never met him. Since he had a different lunch hour. Ruby looked around, trying to spot Weiss. Yang noticed and laughed. “He really will show up for gym Rubes.” She said. Ruby looked over at her, she would have to get used to the nickname. “I'm looking for someone else. I told Weiss she had to come have lunch with us. I don't like that she always eats alone.” Ruby informed the group. “I know her. She's the theater nerd. She keeps to herself, hangs around the theater.” Blake said nodding.

Blake tilted her head up and looked behind Ruby before pointedly turning to talk to Yang. Ruby turned to see Weiss walking over holding a lunch tray. She looked very uncomfortable and Ruby smiled. “ Hey Weiss!!” Ruby called, once she got her attention she patted the seat next to her. Weiss set her tray down and took a seat. “Hello again.” Weiss said rather nervously. “Hey! Glad you showed up. This is Blake and Yang. Usually Sun is here too. Guys this is Weiss.” Ruby made the introductions.

“So where do you guys know each other from?” Yang asked, wondering how Ruby ended up friends with this quiet stranger. “Well I joined the tech club and Weiss is in charge if it. Seems like fun so I don't mind giving it a try.” Ruby responded honestly. Before starting on her lunch. “It is fun. I hope you don't regret it.” Weiss said. She hadn't really touched her lunch but started cutting it up when she noticed Ruby looking at her.

They started talking about what extra stuff the club members would be doing for the show. Since it was just Weiss, Ruby and some senior that never showed up there was a lot to do. Ruby was glad she joined or else Weiss would have to do it alone. By the time lunch was almost over Weiss said she needed to go to her locker but would see Ruby in class. Ruby watched her rush off. _Guess she got bored or something._ Ruby thought.

Once the bell rang Ruby forced herself into biology class. She tried to pay attention but was too busy thinking about Weiss. She was always alone and didn't seem comfortable around people unless she was somehow in charge of them. Ruby wondered if she could change that. Everyone needed friends, Weiss was no exception. She turned toward the empty desk next to her and frowned. She wished Sun was there to distract her.

Ruby got to thinking about how different things were. It was strange to think that not that long ago she was dreading moving to this neighborhood. Now she would be living here permanently. She was glad that Mark and David were so willing to adopt her and Yang. They didn't know them very well but were willing to stick by them.  _  No more ditching. I gotta do better for them.  _ Ruby thought.

At the end of class Ruby wrote down what the homework was and took a photo of the board. She sent both to Sun on her way out. She didn't see him in the hall outside the locker rooms and really hoped she wouldn't have to suffer through gym alone. She entered the locker room and frowned when she saw Emerald leaning against her locker. She smirked and Ruby knew she was in for it. “Hey there. Noticed a change at your table. Trade Sun for that nerd? Or did he wise up and ditch you?” She said. Ruby sighed. Without Cinder Emerald wasn't very good at being hurtful. She was just annoying. Ruby ignored her and started changing. “Maybe Blake heard those rumors about him cheating with that Neptune guy.” She continued.

When Cinder entered the room Ruby braced for worse but was surprised to see Cinder leaving her alone. Emerald looked confused but decided to continue her teasing. Before she could Cinder spoke up. “Em, drop it.” Cinder gave Ruby a nod before walking out into the gym followed by a distressed Emerald. Ruby smiled and finished changing. Guess she had achieved a truce with Cinder.

Once she walked into the gym she saw Sun and headed his way. “Have fun with Neptune?” She asked with a smile. “Ya! We got ice cream! Thanks for the pic and homework from class. Heard you got Weiss to come to lunch.” Ruby smiled. He said that like it was a big accomplishment. The activity today was just walking around the outside of the school a bunch of times while the teacher read a magazine. While they walked Sun told her all about how time with Neptune. Then Ruby told him about talking with Weiss on the dock.  Before they knew it it was time for tech class. Sun had been given the job of putting together some wall pieces. While Ruby followed Weiss into a small room in the back. It was filled with drawers and had a table in the middle. When she looked up she saw a bunch of unused lights hanging.

“We have a lot to do before we are ready for the show so we are going to work on the tech stuff during class so we have more time then just club time.” Weiss started. It made sense since no one else wanted to join. “Today we are gonna go through this list of  gels and make sure we have them. So we can order the ones we need and have them in time.” Weiss said before showing Ruby how things were organized. There were drawers filled with rolls of colored plastic and filing drawers filled with little squares of it. All organized from light to dark. With numbers written in them. 

“So what are these plastics for?” Ruby asked while she searched the rolls for number R303. “They are put in front of the lights to change the color.” Weiss answered. She made a note on the list and started looking again. Ruby smiled when she found what she was looking for there were two large rolls of R303. It was a nice peach color. She wrote that onto the list and checked the files to see how many squares they had. 

It turned out all the ones she was meant to find were red or yellow and Weiss was working on the blues. Soon they had their list finished. They had enough of most of them but there were some that they needed. It was kinda cool to see how many different colors there were. All in all it was a good day. Ruby headed out to the parking lot. She expected to be riding home with Blake and Sun like usual. Until Yang pulled up to the curb on her motorcycle and tossed a spare helmet at her. Ruby cautiously climbed on and put her feet on the pegs. She lightly held onto Yang's side. “You're gonna need to hold on a lot tighter than that.” Yang said. Once she did Yang took off slowly. The ride was short but enjoyable. Ruby was a little nervous at first but ended up smiling the whole way.

 

* * *

 

Weiss stared down at her lunch. She never ate at school and wondered if this was going to become a regular thing. She looked up and noticed Ruby looking at her. So she started cutting her food into little squares like she always did. She tried to keep a conversation going with Ruby to distract her.   Weiss took a small bite when she noticed Ruby's friends looking at her. And eventually took enough bites that she had eaten half of it. She frowned. She didn't want another lecture from Father about being perfect. She knew he wanted her be better and prettier than everyone else. It was hard to accomplish when she was so fat.

Lunch was almost over. She would need to get rid of her lunch before the bell rang if she was going to get to class on time. So she lied to Ruby about needing to get to her locker and headed towards the theater. She put her tray on top of a trash can on her way. The theater had two single bathrooms backstage for the performers to use during the show. It was where Weiss went whenever she was forced to eat at school. Most people didn't know about the bathrooms and no one was ever around. Weiss sneaked into one and locked the door.

As usual she pulled some paper towels from the dispenser and laid them on the ground. She kneeled on them and moved her hair out of the way. Weiss took a deep breath and and forced her index and middle fingers into her throat. Feeling herself gag she leaned forward and emptied her stomach into the toilet. She did it again ignoring the pain. Until she felt like she got it all. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and rinsed her mouth. She looked in the mirror and thought about Ruby. Even if she liked being around her she really couldn't handle lunch everyday.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long! I have been really busy with work and school. I'll try to be quicker with the next one.


	11. Chapter 11

Ruby walked with Yang into the kitchen. Mark and David were both leaning against the counter. “So who wants to fess up first?” David asked folding his arms. Ruby hoped Yang had been practicing her sign when she looked towards her. She signed “What did you do? I only skipped first and second hour.” “Oh no. Don't try and get your stories straight now. The school called. So what was so important that you needed to miss class?” David interrupted. He looked to Yang first.

“Fine. I ditched and went to Starbucks with some friends.” Yang answered with a shrug. Mark chuckled before asking “Which friends? You all couldn't wait until after school to hang out? In any case you are both grounded.” 

“I figured. It was just Blake and a new friend Coco. We just didn't wanna go.” When Yang finished both parents heads turned to Ruby. “And where were you?” David asked. It seemed like they were going for a good cop bad cop thing and David was bad cop. Ruby decided to be as honest as possible. She said “I had a headache so  I was sitting on the theater dock.” “and?” Mark prodded. “And smoking…. But I made friends with someone in my club.” Ruby tried to pull attention from the smoking, noticing the sad look on Marks face. 

“Do you have anymore cigarettes?” David asked. Mark chimed in with “How can we help you quit easier?” At the same time. Ruby sighed she really hoped David wasn't going to take her pack. “I've actually cut down a lot. I only had one today. Usually id have smoked a lot more.” Ruby said while pulling out her current pack. It was more than half full and Ruby only had one more hidden in her room. David took the pack from her hand and put it in his pocket.

“I'm glad your making progress. You know we will do anything we can to help. We can get some patches or nicotine gum, but I think it's best if I keep these. You are both grounded for the rest of the week.” David said before dismissing them. Ruby and Yang both pouted on the way up stairs and Ruby was surprised to see Yang follow her into hers.

Ruby closed the door behind Yang and pulled her last pack out of her hiding place. She started unwrapping it. Noticing Yang scowling at her. “So you get in trouble for smoking and then immediately run off to smoke?” Yang asked. “One I got in trouble for skipping class. Two I've been smoking a long time. It's gonna take a while to quit. I used to smoke every hour but it's four in the afternoon and I've only smoked once today. That's enough progress for now.” Ruby replied. She opened the window and gestured for Yang to follow. Once she was seated she lit her smoke and Yang soon joined her.

“So actually we gotta think of a get outta jail strategy. Game night at Coco's tonight. Blake and Sun are going too. Should be fun.” Yang said after plopping down. Ruby blew her smoke into the breeze so it would travel away from Yang. “So we sneak out. Find some reason to make them not check up on us.” Ruby said with a shrug.  “Like what?” Yang prodded. “I don't know about you but I've never had a foster parent ground me before. So I'm gonna play the I'm mad card. Silent treatment and so on.” Ruby continued.

Yang nodded. “I'm in.” Once Ruby finished her smoke they gathered their homework and set it out on Yang's floor. When it came time for dinner and David came up to get them Ruby didn't say anything and headed down stairs. Yang followed her lead and they stayed silent all through dinner. Afterwards they went back up together and closed their doors. They waited a little  while and got ready to go. The men had apparently given up on trying to get them to talk. 

They very quietly opened a window and walked across the roof. They hoped their footsteps couldn't be heard in the house. Once they had hopped off the garage they hurried along out of the yard and away from the house. “That was too easy. We are gonna be extra grounded when we get back.” Yang said anxiously. Ruby just shook her head and laughed. They had informed Sun about their plan and found him waiting in his car down the street.

There were a lot of people at this party. Coco's basement had little stations with screens all over. Each one had a different game set up. One had a group of people playing Mario kart. Ruby stopped to watch a minute and decided to join in. She didn't know who she was playing with but they were having a great time. She looked over and saw Yang and Sun playing a fighting game. She looked like she was having a good time too. 

More and more people showed up and Yang was drawing a crowd. She had won every match and had a line of challengers. She wanted to kick all their butts but was getting tired of playing. She looked around for Ruby while she worked on defeating a guy she thought was named Jaune. She found her sitting at a little table playing chess with Blake. She wanted to know who was winning and focused her attention on winning so she could leave undefeated. “Yes!” She shouted watching Jaune's character fall. She turned to hand her controller to the next guy in line while the game announced “soaring ninja wins.”

“For the champion.” A guy with blue hair said. He handed her a purple can. “I'm Neptune by the way. Sun and Blake have told me a lot about you. I hope to get to know you and your sister better later.” He said before running off after Sun. Yang shook her head and headed over to check out that chess game. She watched Ruby's rook take one of Blake's knights and opened her soda. The noise grabbed Blake’s attention and she waved. Yang lifted the can to take a drink but paused. It had a very beer like smell. She looked down and confirmed that yup it was beer.

_ Just one might be fine. It's just a beer. It's not like I've got a bottle of bourbon.  _ Yang thought. She barely noticed Blake get up and was focused on not downing the can in one go. When she lifted the can she felt a hand on it. “Give me that Yang. You don't really want it.” Yang looked at the speaker angrily. It was Ruby. She pulled the can out of Yang's hand and put it between her legs under the table. Yang felt both angry and relieved. She really needed to pay attention to what got handed to her at these things. When Sun passed by a second later Ruby waved him over. “Take this will you?” She asked handing him the beer. Yang watched him go and struggled not to follow. 

She looked around and saw that quite a few people were now drinking. One was even stumbling. She noticed Coco and her sister Velvet doing Jello shots in the kitchen. Yang watched them and felt a strong urge to get closer. “Checkmate” someone said behind her. Followed by some light chatter. Yang could feel herself losing the battle inside.  _ Just a sip it'll be fine.  _ A voice in her mind said. She started for the kitchen but again a hand stopped her. It was holding onto her elbow.

“Let's go home.” Ruby said. She could see that Yang was having a hard time with the drinking all around them. Someone was passing out drinks and almost no one was empty handed. If she didn't get Yang out of there now she feared that Yang would relapse. An image of Yang passed out in a ditch hugging a bottle flashed in Ruby's mind.  _ Nope that's not happening ever again. Not while I'm here. _ Ruby thought. She pulled Yang's elbow hard and wrapped her free arm around her waist. Ruby pushed through the crowd and guided Yang through the door. 

Out in the front yard she turned Yang to face her. “Are you ok?” Ruby asked gently. It took Yang a couple minutes to answer. “I think so. Let's go home before someone else hands me a drink. I don't know if I'll be able to let you take it from me again.” Ruby guided Yang away from the house and Yang could swear she tasted the beer in her mouth. The further away they got from the party the better Yang seemed. 

“Thanks Ruby. I don't think I could have stopped myself.” Yang said suddenly. They had both been quiet during the walk but Ruby was glad Yang was talking again. “No problem. I've got your back. I know it must be hard to be around it again.” Ruby answered. She knew Yang would have done the same for her. “That was the first time I have been. I guess I failed my first real life test.” Ruby frowned. She looked at Yang and could see that she was really kicking herself about this. Ruby reached out and stopped her.

“Sometimes things happen that are out of our control. There wasn't supposed to be drinking at that party. It's not like you put yourself in that situation on purpose. And sometimes you need help. That's what family is for. I'm not gonna let my sister go back to that life. We can make things better now. I'll help you if you'll help me.” Ruby said. She pulled her last pack of smokes out of her pocket. She held them out and waited for Yang to take them from her. Yang did take them. She pulled Ruby into a bone crushing hug. 

They walked the rest of the way in silence. Just trying to process the night. Since the lights were still on in the house they climbed as quietly as possible back in. They said their good nights and Ruby climbed into bed. She thought about what happened. She hadn't considered this her home before tonight. Didn't think of this as a real family. She had doubts about getting to stay. No one else had ever cared about her before. Ruby knew she really needed to pull things together. Her new family deserved it.


End file.
